Hanger

ABSTRACT

An ornament hanger may include a three-dimensional ornament body including a hollow portion and a hole, and a grommet disposed in the hole, the grommet being configured to accommodate an external object into the hollow portion through the hole, and to exert a securing force on the external object to hold the ornament hanger in place on the external object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Provisional Application No.62/190,682, filed on Jul. 9, 2015, in the United States Patent andTrademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT

1. Field of the Invention

The present general inventive concept relates to a device to hang orattach ornaments easily and safely.

2. Description of the Related Art

Holiday ornaments are typically placed by being hung from trees andsimilar locations. Usually, an ornament includes two parts: the ornamentitself, including a loop or other attachment point, and a hook or stringwhich is attached to the ornament at the attachment point and used tohang the ornament from an object, e.g. a tree.

While this conventional arrangement has been in use for years, it is notwithout drawbacks. Conventional hooks tend to get tangled, break, orfall off the ornament or the object the ornament is hung on. The hookfalling off in this manner can lead to the ornament breaking, or theobject the ornament is hung from being damaged.

Furthermore, the conventional hook and ornament combination can bedifficult or even dangerous to use, especially for the elderly,children, people with disabilities, and similar groups. The conventionalhook and ornament combination can also be dangerous at times, such as anornament or hook being stepped on or even swallowed, e.g. by a pet or achild.

Additionally, the combination of hooks and ornaments makes the processof storing and hanging ornaments complicated. Hanging ornaments requiresan extra step of affixing a hook to each ornament. Still further, sincehooks catch and tangle on things, it can be difficult to storeornaments, especially if the hooks are not removed from the ornamentsbefore storage.

Using string to hang ornaments is not without drawbacks either. Stringcan still slide off of objects (e.g., tree branches), leading toornaments falling off of objects and breaking, similarly to using hooks.Furthermore, hanging ornaments with string still requires an extra stepof affixing the string to each ornament, and the strings can stilltangle on things.

Accordingly, there is a need for a way to hang ornaments whileminimizing the danger of damaging the ornaments, other objects, orpeople and animals.

Further, there is a need to be able to hang and store ornaments simply,minimizing the number of operations involved in hanging and storingornaments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT

The present general inventive concept provides an ornament hangerconfigured to be affixed to an external object by inserting the externalobject into the ornament hanger.

Additional features and utilities of the present general inventiveconcept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and,in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned bypractice of the general inventive concept.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present generalinventive concept may be achieved by providing an ornament hanger,including a three-dimensional ornament body including a hollow portionand a hole, and a grommet disposed in the hole, the grommet beingconfigured to accommodate an external object into the hollow portionthrough the hole, and to exert a securing force on the external objectto hold the ornament hanger in place on the external object.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of a width and a depth of thehole may be determined based on a size of the ornament body.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of a width and thickness of thegrommet may be determined based on at least one of the width and thedepth of the hole.

In an exemplary embodiment, the grommet may include an aperture toaccommodate the external object.

In an exemplary embodiment, the aperture may be substantially circularin shape.

In an exemplary embodiment, the aperture may be star-shaped.

In an exemplary embodiment, the aperture may include teeth to grip theexternal object.

In an exemplary embodiment, the hollow portion may include part of aninterior volume of the ornament body.

In an exemplary embodiment, the hollow portion may include substantiallyall of an interior volume of the ornament body.

In an exemplary embodiment, the securing force may include at least oneof an elastic force and friction between the grommet and the externalobject.

The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present generalinventive concept may also be achieved by providing an ornament hanger,including a hollow body having a hole disposed therein, and a grommetfitted into the hole and including an aperture configured tofrictionally receive an object therethrough and into the hollow body.

In an exemplary embodiment, the grommet may include first and secondends having a width larger than a width of the hole, and a middleportion disposed between the first and second ends, the middle portionhaving a width less than or equal to the width of the hole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other features and utilities of the present generalinventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated fromthe following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a view of an ornament hanger according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an ornament hanger according to anexemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a grommet according to an exemplary embodimentof the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 4 is a view of alternate versions of grommets according toexemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an ornament hanger according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present general inventive concept; and

FIGS. 6-7 are side views of an ornament hanger engaged with an externalobject according to exemplary embodiments of the present generalinventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentgeneral inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the likeelements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order toexplain the present general inventive concept while referring to thefigures. Also, while describing the present general inventive concept,detailed descriptions about related well-known functions orconfigurations that may diminish the clarity of the points of thepresent general inventive concept are omitted.

Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list ofelements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify theindividual elements of the list.

All terms including descriptive or technical terms which are used hereinshould be construed as having meanings that are obvious to one ofordinary skill in the art. However, the terms may have differentmeanings according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art,case precedents, or the appearance of new technologies. Also, some termsmay be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, themeaning of the selected terms will be described in detail in thedetailed description of the preferred embodiments. Thus, the terms usedherein are defined based on the intended meaning of the terms togetherwith the description throughout the specification.

Also, when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless there isa particular description contrary thereto, the part can further includeother elements, not excluding the other elements.

Hereinafter, one or more exemplary embodiments of the present generalinventive concept will be described in detail with reference toaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an ornament hanger 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present general inventive concept. The ornament hanger100 according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventiveconcept may include a grommet 10 and an ornament body 20.

The ornament body 20 may be a three-dimensional form including a hollowportion 22 at the interior thereof (indicated with dashed lines in FIGS.1, 2, 5, and 6). As illustrated for example in FIG. 6, the hollowportion 22 may have a size and shape sufficient to accommodate a portionof an external object 30 inside the ornament body 20. The ornament body20 may further include a hole 21 (illustrated in FIG. 2) in which thegrommet 10 is fitted therein, as described in greater detail infra. Theornament body 20 may be formed from, e.g., shatterproof plastic, glass,ceramic, or resin, but is not limited to these materials.

Although the ornament body 20 is illustrated in the drawings asapproximately spherical in shape, it will be understood that theornament body 20 may be any shape or size that may include the hole 21and the hollow portion 22 to accommodate a portion of an external object30. Furthermore, depending on the shape and size of the ornament body20, the hollow portion 22 may comprise some or all of the interiorvolume of the ornament body 20. In other words, the ornament body 20 maybe a hollow shell, or may include solid portions in addition to thehollow portion 22. An exemplary embodiment of this is illustrated inFIG. 6, showing an ornament body 20 comprising a hollow portion 22 aspart of the interior volume thereof, while the remainder of the ornamentbody 20 may be solid. Alternatively, the ornament body 20 may include ahollow shell with a separate hollow portion 22 formed therein, separatedfor example from the rest of the hollow shell of the ornament body 20,so that the weight of the ornament hanger 100 is kept to a minimum. Aseparate hollow portion 22 formed in the ornament body 20 may alsostabilize and strengthen the ornament body 20 if, for example, theornament body 20 is a shape that is not structurally strong, such as ahollow form with decorative holes in addition to the hole 21.

The grommet 10 may be tightly fitted into the hole 21 of the ornamentbody 20. The grommet 10 may be made of rubber, plastic, or flexiblemetal, for example, but is not limited to these materials. The grommet10 may include an aperture 11 (see FIG. 2) to accommodate an externalobject 30. When an external object 30 is inserted into the aperture 11of grommet 10, the grommet 10 may deform elastically to accommodate theexternal object 30. The grommet 10 may exert a securing force on theexternal object 30 sufficient to hold the ornament hanger 100 in placeon the external object 30. The securing force may be generated byelastic deformation of the grommet 10 caused by inserting the externalobject 30 into the aperture 11. Alternatively, or in addition to theelastic deformation, the securing force may be exerted by the shape ofthe inner portion of any of the exemplary apertures 11 engaging with asurface external object 30, as described in detail below with referenceto FIG. 4.

The securing force is sufficient to hold the ornament hanger 100 inplace on the external object 30 regardless of its orientation. In otherwords, the securing force exerted by the grommet 10 may hold theornament hanger 100 in place on an external object 30 if the ornamenthanger 100 is, e.g., sideways (as illustrated in FIG. 6), upside-down(as illustrated in FIG. 7), or placed at any other orientation withrespect to gravity.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the ornament hanger 100, with thegrommet 10 separated from the hole 21. In operation, the grommet 10 isinserted into the hole 21 and fastened, fitted, or otherwise securelyheld in place. FIG. 3 is a side view of a grommet 10 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. In theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the grommet 10 may have awider portion 10 a at either end having a width larger than that of thehole 21, and a narrow portion 10 b in the middle having a width equal toor less than that of the hole 21. If the grommet 10 is made of aflexible material, it may be inserted into and removed from the hole 21by deforming the grommet enough to fit one of the wider end portions 10a through the hole 21. When positioned in the hole 21, the relativelynarrower middle portion 10 b of the grommet 10 may line up with the hole21 in the ornament body 20, while the relatively wider portions 10 a ateither end of the grommet 10 may extend respectively out of and into theornament body 20, holding the grommet 10 in place in the hole 21, asillustrated for example in FIG. 5.

The size of grommet 10 (i.e., a width and/or thickness) may depend onthe size (i.e., a width and/or depth) of hole 21, such that the grommet10 is made to securely fit into the hole 21. The size of hole 21 may bedetermined according to the overall size and/or shape of ornament body20. For example, a larger ornament body 20 may have a larger hole 21than a relatively smaller ornament body 20.

FIG. 4 illustrates various exemplary embodiments of the aperture 11 ingrommet 10. As illustrated therein, the grommet 10 may include any oneof a round aperture 11 a, a star-cut aperture 11 b, a toothed aperture11 c, and a narrow aperture 11 d. These types of apertures 11 areillustrated only as examples. It will be understood that the aperture 11may be any shape suitable to accommodate an external object 30 and holdthe ornament hanger 100 securely to the external object 30. Differentaperture shapes and sizes may be used depending on the intended externalobject 30. For example, a star-cut aperture illustrated at 11 b mayaccommodate a rigid or smooth external object 30 that requires theaperture 11 b to deform around it and exert a securing force comprisinga primarily elastic force caused by the grommet 10's deformation. Incomparison, a toothed aperture illustrated at 11 c may be used for amore flexible or textured external object 30, such that the teeth of theaperture 11 c can grip onto or engage with the object and thereby exertthe securing force. A narrow aperture illustrated at 11 d may be smallerthan a size of the external object 30, such that inserting the externalobject 30 into the grommet 10 causes an interference fit, i.e., frictionfrom being forced through a hole that is too small generates thesecuring force which holds the external object 30 in place. In any case,the shape and elasticity of the aperture 11 may be such that the grommet10 exerts the securing force to grip an external object 30 withsufficient force to hold the ornament hanger 100 on the external object30 regardless of orientation with respect to gravity.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, thegrommet 10 may be removable and interchangeable, such that an ornamentbody 20 may be used with any grommet 10 that fits into the hole 21 inthe ornament body 20. If the grommet 10 is made of a flexible material,it may be pulled out of the hole 21 and replaced with another grommet 10without damaging the ornament body 20 or the grommet 10.

Furthermore, although the hole 21 and grommet 10 are illustrated asbeing substantially circular in shape, the shape of hole 21 and grommet10 fitted therein can be any number of shapes, e.g., square, triangular,hexagonal, etc. The shape of the hole 21 and grommet 10 may depend onthe shape or size of the ornament body 20. For example, in an ornamentbody 20 including a plurality of decorative triangular holes, the hole21 may be triangular as well.

In operation, the ornament hanger 100 including the ornament body 20 andthe grommet 10 is positioned on an external object 30. As illustratedfor example in FIG. 6, this external object 30 may be, for example, abranch of a Christmas tree, but is not limited thereto. A portion of theexternal object 30 is inserted through the aperture 11 of grommet 10 andinto the hollow portion 22 of the ornament body 20 up to a desiredlength. The grommet 10 exerts the securing force on the external object30, through elastic deformation of the grommet 10 and/or engagement ofthe aperture 11 with a surface of the external object 30. The securingforce may hold the ornament hanger 100 in place on the external object30.

If the external object 30 is flexible, for example if it is a treebranch, the external object 30 may be manipulated, e.g. bent, after theornament hanger 100 is in place on the external object 30, asillustrated for example in FIG. 7. Since the grommet 10 holds theornament hanger 100 in place on the external object 30, the ornamenthanger 100 remains in place even if the external object 30 ismanipulated. This allows increased freedom of positioning the ornamenthanger 100 in a desired location and orientation.

To remove the ornament hanger 100 from an external object 30, a userpulls the ornament hanger 100 off of the external object 30 with enoughforce to overcome the securing force of the grommet 10. No parts of theornament hanger 100 need to be removed or stored separately.

The present general inventive concept eliminates the need forconventional hooks or strings currently used to hang ornaments. It willmake it easier for individuals of all ages, young and old, to be able todecorate quicker, safer, and easier for holidays, special occasions,events, parties, or just for home decor. An ornament hanger 100according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventiveconcept needs no additional items, such as, for example, separatefastening-type hardware, to be able to function properly. That is, noadditional components are required to fasten the ornament hanger 100 toan intended external object 30, for example to a tree branch. Thisconstruction may provide cost savings, as a user does not need to buyseparate parts (e.g., an ornament and hooks). Furthermore, since theornament hanger 100 is attached to the external object 30 through thesecuring force of the grommet 10, the ornament hanger 100 is heldsecurely in place, with substantially less chance of getting knocked offor slipping off of the external object 30 than prior art ornaments thatrely on hooks or string. This can lead to increased safety, since thereis less chance of an ornament falling to the ground where it may bestepped on, and there are no hooks which may be lost, stepped on,swallowed by children or pets, etc.

Exemplary embodiments of the ornament hanger 100 described hereintherefore eliminate the recognized problems of prior art hooks. Theornament hanger 100 further eliminates an extra step of fastening theconventional hooks onto an ornament or other items, which makes iteasier both to hang and to store an ornament or other item year afteryear.

An ornament hanger 100 according to exemplary embodiments of the presentgeneral inventive concept may make decorating a tree or attaching anornament or other item to a desired object much quicker than anyconventional methods, which is necessary as the pace of life iscontinuously becoming much faster. As described above with reference tothe exemplary embodiments, the present general inventive concept is bothmore modern and easier to use than the conventional ornament and hookarrangement.

Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept havebeen shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing fromthe principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope ofwhich is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ornament hanger, comprising: athree-dimensional ornament body including a hollow portion and a hole;and a grommet disposed in the hole, the grommet being configured toaccommodate an external object into the hollow portion through the hole,and to exert a securing force on the external object to hold theornament hanger in place on the external object.
 2. The ornament hangerof claim 1, wherein at least one of a width and a depth of the hole aredetermined based on a size of the ornament body.
 3. The ornament hangerof claim 2, wherein at least one of a width and a thickness of thegrommet are determined based on at least one of the width and the depthof the hole.
 4. The ornament hanger of claim 1, wherein the grommetcomprises an aperture to accommodate the external object.
 5. Theornament hanger of claim 4, wherein the aperture is substantiallycircular in shape.
 6. The ornament hanger of claim 4, wherein theaperture is star-shaped.
 7. The ornament hanger of claim 4, wherein theaperture comprises teeth to grip the external object.
 8. The ornamenthanger of claim 1, wherein the hollow portion comprises part of aninterior volume of the ornament body.
 9. The ornament hanger of claim 8,wherein the hollow portion comprises substantially all of an interiorvolume of the ornament body.
 10. The ornament hanger of claim 1, whereinthe securing force comprises at least one of an elastic force andfriction between the grommet and the external object.
 11. An ornamenthanger, comprising: a hollow body having a hole disposed therein; and agrommet fitted into the hole and including an aperture configured tofrictionally receive an object therethrough and into the hollow body.12. The ornament hanger of claim 11, where the grommet comprises: firstand second ends having a width larger than a width of the hole; and amiddle portion disposed between the first and second ends, the middleportion having a width less than or equal to the width of the hole.